There was once a place called Grumble Town where everybody grumbled, grumbled, grumbled. In summer, the people grumbled that it was too hot. In winter, the people grumbled that it was too cold. When it rained, the Children whimpered because they couldn't go outside. When the sun came out, they complained that they had nothing to do. Neighbors griped and groaned about neighbors, parents about children, and brothers about sisters.

Everybody had a problem, and everybody whined that someone should come do something about it.

One day a peddler trudged into town, carrying a big basket on his back. When he heard all the fussing and sighing and moaning, he put his basket down and cried: "O citizens of this town! Your fields are ripe with grain, your orchards heavy with fruit. Your mountains are covered by good, thick forests, and your valleys watered by deep, wide rivers. Never have I seen a place blessed by such opportunity and abundance. Why are you so dissatisfied? Gather around me, and I will show you the way to contentment."

Now this peddler's shirt was tattered and torn. His pants showed patches, his shoes had holes. The people laughed to think that someone like him could show them how to be content. But while they snickered, he pulled a long rope from his basket and strung it between two poles in the town square. Then, holding his basket before him, he cried: "People of Grumble Town! Whoever is dissatisfied, write your trouble on a piece of paper, and bring it and put it in this basket. I will exchange your problem for happiness!"

The crowd swarmed around him. No one hesitated at the chance to get rid of his trouble. Every man, woman and child in the village scribbled a grumble on a scrap of paper and dropped it into the basket.

They watched as the peddler took each trouble and hung it on the line. By the time he was through, troubles fluttered on each inch of the rope, from end to end. Then he said: "Now each one of you shall take from this magic lines the smallest trouble you can find."

They rushed forward to examine all of the troubles. They hunted and fingered and pondered, each trying to pick the smallest trouble. After a while the magic line was empty.

And behold! Each held in his hand the very same trouble he had put into the basket. Each had chosen his own trouble, thinking it was the smallest of all on the line.

From that day, the people of Grumble Town stopped grumbling all the time. And whenever anyone had the urge to whimper or whine, he thought of the peddler and his magic line.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is also a great conference exercise to have the group do as the town did. You can substitute grumbling with business obstacles, personality conflicts, etc.

Coaching Questions:

1. What did the peddler see that everyone else did not?

2. How easy is it to be "deep in the middle" of an organizational problem and not see what the peddler saw?

3. What do you think the group talked about as they mulled over the scraps on the rope?

4. What issue is you or your team dissatisfied is with?